Universal vibrato for musical instruments



March 4, 1958 w SMALLWQQD 2,825,256

UNIVERSAL VIBRATO FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed Nov. 22, 1954 United States Patent UNIVERSAL VIBRATO FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Thornton W. Smallwood, Kansas City, Mo., assiguor of one-half to Walter A. Reich, Jackson County, Mo.

Application November 22, 1954, Serial No. 470,396 3 Claims. (Cl. 84-313) .This invention relates to improvements in musical instruments and more particularly to a device for controlling the tone of stringed instruments and has for its primary object the provision of a universal attachment that may be easily and quickly mounted upon and removed from the strings thereof. I

Another important object of the instant invention is to provide a tone control device requiring no means of afllxation other than operative association with the strings themselves, thereby eliminating any necessity of modification of the instrument, mutilation thereof, or use of fastening means on the sounding board or sounding box or any other part of the instrument.

Another important object of the instant invention is to provide a tone control device in thenature of a vibrato or mute that is relatively small, inexpensive and uncomplicated so that when the same is placed in use the appearance of the instrument will not be adversely affected, the operation thereof in the normal manner of plucking the strings will not be hampered, and the device itself will be virtually hidden from view by the arm of the musician.

Another very important object of the instant invention is to provide a tone control device as above-mentioned that may be easily operated at the will of the musician while his arms, hands and fingers are in the normal playing position, eliminating the necessity of movements for operation of the device such as would adversely affect normal playing of the instrument.

Other objects include important details of construction, all of which will be made clear as the following specification progresses, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a stringed musical instrument showing a universal vibrato made pursuant to the present invention operably mounted on the strings thereof.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the vibrato showing the same mounted upon the strings of the musical instrument; and

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line III-I1I of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

As will hereinafter appear, the tone control device about to be described and shown in the drawing broadly designated by the numeral 10, is adapted for use with many types of stringed instruments such as mandolins, guitars, ukuleles, banjos and other instruments of the lute type and therefore, guitar 12 is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing for illustrative purposes only.

The instrument 12 has a sounding box 14 but it is to be understood that the vibrato is adapted for use equally as well with stringed instruments having merely a sounding boardand the uppermost surface of the sounding box 14 is designated by the numeral 16 and may be referred to as the sounding board of the guitar 12. In addition, the instrument 12 has a fretted finger board 18 in the usual manner, receiving one end of the 2,825,256 Patented Mar. 4, 1958 strings 20 that are stretched across abridge 22 upon the sounding board 16 and connected to a tailpiece 24 that is in turn attached to the sounding box 14.

The tone control mute or vibrato 10 includes an elongated, manually operable pressure member 26 that may be shaped in any desired manner at one end thereof to provide a pressure surface 28 that is engaged by the arm or wrist of the musician during use thereof as will hereinafter be more fully explained.

Member 26 has a lateral projection or downturned flange 30 on that end thereof opposite to the arm-engaging part 28 that is preferably integral with the member 26 and provided with a straight transverse edge 32 disposed in overlying engagement with the strings 20 when the device 10 is mounted thereon as shown best in Fig. 3.

The member 10 is additionally provided with a pair of spaced lateral extensions or downturned parallel flanges 34 and 36 preferably integral therewith and perpendicular to the flange 30. Flanges 34 and 36 are perforated to receive a pair of spaced cross elements or pins 38 and 40 that are parallel with the lowermost edge 32 of flange 30 and disposed between the latter and the engageable part 28.

Flange 30, as well as the pins 38 and 40, are disposed between the bridge 22 and the tailpiece 24 when the control device 10 is mounted on the strings 20 in the manner best seen by Fig. 3 and it is to be noted that the strings 20 are threaded beneath the edge 32, over the pin 40 and beneath the pin 38. The pin 40 that is disposed between the edge 32 and the pin 38 is slightly offset beneath a plane extending from the edge 32 and the lowermost extremities of the pin 38. Both pins 38 and 40 should be readily removable from the flanges 34 and 36 so that the vibrato 10 may be easily and quickly removed or replaced on the strings 20.

The three elements 30, 38 and 4t} serve as the sole means of mounting the device 10 on the strings 20 between the bridge 22 and the tailpiece 24 and by virtue of the provision of the flange 30 with its edge 32 in overlying engagement with the strings 2t), the member 26 cannot turn upwardly or flip rearwardly and upwardly beyond the full line position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

The instrument 12 is used in the normal manner, the musician plucking the strings 20 with the fingers of his right hand and stopping the same at the frets with the fingers of his left hand. In such normal playing position the right arm or wrist overlies or covers the entire device 10 substantially hiding it from view and, since the engaging surface 28 of member 26 lies relatively close to the strings 20 even in the inoperative position shown by full lines in Fig. 3, it does not interfere with such normal playing action.

However, whenever it is desired to deaden or soften the tones, or cause the notes to sound with a fluttering or tremulous tone quality, the musician need merely press slightly upon the engaging surface 23 to swing the device 10 to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3. Such pressure by the right arm which may be carried out even while the instrument is being played in the usual manner, tightens the strings 20 because of the fact that the pin 40 moves upwardly while the pin 38 moves downwardly, producing a slight bend or offset in all of the strings simultaneously. it is notable that the flange 30 and its edge 32 have no function so far as vibrato action is concerned since edge 32 moves away from the strings 20 when the member as is swung to the dotted line position of Fig. 3.

It is apparent also that, without change of position so far as the right arm is concerned, the musician may produce any desired effect such as pulsation of tone through rapid alteration of swells and softenings in' the tone as he causes the member 15) to swing toward and away from the strings 20 in rapid succession or with such speedas may be desired to produce'a shaking, shivering or quivering effect in the'tones being produced.

While the device is shown operably mounted on an instrument 12 having six strings 2 0, and while the width of the member 26 as illustrated, is less than combined width of the strings 20, it is to be appreciated that dimensions may be varied so that the member 26 substantially-or fully encompasses the pins 38 and 40 and fully overlies all of the strings if desired, especially Where the same is used with instruments having a lesser number of strings.

It is, therefore, desired tobe'limited only by the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A tone control device for stringed instruments comprising a manually operable pressure member disposable in overlying relationship to the strings of the instrument between the bridge and the tailpiece of the latter, and having a pair of spaced flanges depending therefrom and extending toward the sounding board of the instrument when the member overlies said strings; and means for mounting said member on the strings including a pair of spaced cross pins carried by the' flanges, one of the pins being disposed on the member for overlying engagement with the strings and the other pin being disposed on the member for underlying engagement with the strings, and a flange on one end of the member, extending toward said sounding board and having an edge parallel with the cross pins in overlying engagement with the strings when the member is mounted on the strings.

2. In combination with a musical instrument having a sounding board, a finger board, a bridge on the sounding board, a tailpiece secured to the sounding board, and a plurality of strings stretched across said bridge between the finger board and the tailpiece; a tone control device comprising an elongated, manually operable pressure member overlying the strings and having a downturned,

4. cross flange on one end thereof provided with an edge facing the sounding board and disposed in overlying engagement with the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece adjacent the latter, and a pair of spaced, longitudinal flanges turned downwardly toward said sounding board; and a pair of cross pins carried by the longitudinal flanges in parallelism with said edge, one pin underlying. the strings between said edge and the opposite end of the member, and the other pin" overlying the strings between said one pin and said opposite end of the member.

3. In combination with a musical. instrument having a sounding board, a finger board, a bridge on the sounding board, a tailpiece secured to the sounding board, and a plurality of strings stretched across said bridge between the finger board and the tailpiece, a tone control device comprising an elongated, manually operable pressure member overlying the strings and having a downturned, cross flange on one end thereof provided with an edge facing the sounding board and disposed in overlying engagement with the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece adjacent the latter, and a pair of spaced, longitudinal flanges turned downwardly toward said sounding board; and a pair of cross pins c'arried by the longitudinal flanges beneath the member in parallelism with said edge, one pin underlying the" strings between said edge and the opposite end ofthe member, and the other pin overlying the strings between said one pin and said opposite end of'the member, said one pinbeing oflset belov. a plane" extending" from said edge to the other pin.

References Citedin-the file of this patent UNITED STATES'PATENTS 1,577,245 Bua Mar. 16, 1926 1,716,747 Warner June 11, 1929 1,726,849 Martyn Sept. 3,.1929 1,769,121 Decker July 1, 1930 1,775,089 De Costa Sept. 9, 1930 2,241,284 Walder .May. 6, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 493,911' Germany Mar. 15, 1930 

